The European Commission urges Hamas
and Israel to immediately halt all attacks affecting the civilian population and
requests Israel to open up the humanitarian space

The European Commission is
deeply concerned by the situation in Gaza. Recent hostilities have already
caused an estimated 350 deaths and over 1400 wounded. The lack of
access for humanitarian goods and relief workers creates a dramatic situation
for thousands of civilians.

The European Commission is extremely concerned about the plight of civilians
in the Gaza Strip. It calls for an immediate halt to
military hostilities that are having a heavy impact on the civilian
population in Gaza. It also firmly calls for a halt to the rocket
attacks targeting Israeli civilians.

The European Commission insists on the need for sufficient access for
supplies of essential humanitarian goods to Gaza in particular in view of the
dramatic situation of hospitals there. Urgent measures have to be taken in order
to ensure safe and secure conditions for the distribution of these goods and to
facilitate access of international agencies.

As a first preliminary reaction to the humanitarian consequences of the
current strikes, the European Commission is providing support to meet the most
urgent medical needs in Gaza in addition to our ongoing support and in close
cooperation with the international community. The Commission's Humanitarian Aid
department (ECHO) provides currently over EUR 73 million in humanitarian
assistance to the West Bank and Gaza. 56% of this amount is allocated to
Gaza.